The Primordial Risen
By this point, Mary had gone near catatonic. They had rid themselves of one beast, only to be confronted by the full one in less than a minute. It's power....she could barely feel it...and yet it felt like it was trying to crush her, break her into pieces, assimilate her into the shadows it's body gave birth to... Hephaestus, however, took a step forward. "So...we meet again, Gehaburn. It's been centuries for myself. For you...it's only been a few weeks, has it not?" Ichigo exclaimed, "...It's here...!" She was shaking as if there was a snake in her boots; but for the sake of her loved ones, she stood tall and proud, refusing to bow to the demon. Crux merely yawned; stretching his arms. "Oh-ho, look at you...Let it come closer for a while, I want to get a good close look. This is Eslydeon's other half; and I may never see this creature again." "You'll be seeing it from the inside with that attitude," Vivian sighed. Gehaburn let out an almighty howl. "...As once before, one shall stand, one shall fall. Only, this time around, the outcome will be very much different, mark my words." The Dawn Overcome By Shadows "No matter what you say..." Hephaestus' staff transformed once more, becoming the blade he was about to cut Crux open with no five minutes ago. He began to unsheathe it, the blade gleaming. "...the result will never change!" "I suppose it is time..." Ringo's monotone voice let out a small sigh. "...the demon must be eradicated by our hand." Gehaburn roared into the sky, "Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Gehaburn. Primordial? A label created by the Ensurans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call me is irrelevant. I simply AM. Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. I am eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before me, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. I am the end of everything. The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, the demon technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths the demonic desire. The Primordial Duo impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it. I transcend your very understanding. I am a nation, independent, free of all weaknesses. You cannot even grasp the nature of my existence. I have no beginning. I have no end. I am infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, I will endure. I am legion. The time of the ancient wars is about to return. I will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom. Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction." Darkness snakes seeped from Gehaburn's back, shooting towards the group at it charged straight at Hephaestus. "The way you describe yourself and your brethren..." Hephaestus' sword began to glow, red-hot, as he was surrounded by a fiery aura, letting off immense heat that began to drain all moisture from the area. Mary would be useless in this situation. The air was becoming arid, trees, grass, and other plants were drying up, purely from being exposed to the heat of this magical power. "...it would appear you've confused yourselves with gods." Hephaestus stared directly up at the beast as his flames began to expand, encompassing his entire body. "I've seen true terror, I've lived through a world these people cannot even imagine. I've lost everyone who ever mattered to me, and barely protected the ones I have left. I've gone to the edge of reason and back again, and let me tell you something-!" His blade was coated in massive amounts of flames, which shot high into the sky from where Hephaestus stood like a beacon. He swung his blade, releasing the flames in one fell swoop and they fell upon the snakes like wild beasts, incinerating them, burning the snake-like appendages to ashes. "God is dead." "God is not dead in any form." Gehaburn charged up black, destructive energy within it's mouth. "Hewn from Planet Eating Beast Varian, Gehaburn is the closest thing to a god in this deep, dark world. There is no equal." Suddenly, the beast released an enormous beam from it's maw; crackling intensely as it razed its surroundings. "The lot of you, get down!" Hephaestus ordered, and Akatsuki immediately moved, ducking like maniacs, Vivian dragging Mary with her, leaving Hephaestus was what looked like an open target. The flames that had encased his body now fully covered nearly every inch of his except part of his arms and his head. He was clothed completely in a flame-like armor. He held his sword in front of him, positioning himself exactly in the way of the beam...and it collided, dead on, causing him to be pushed back as the beam split along either side of him, clashing with his will. Ringo stared at this, and then looked at the beast. "It's a distraction....Hephaestus is distracting it now...we should take advantage of this..." Vivian nodded; and without any seconds left to spare, she charged at the beast; flame amassed upon her hand "Solar Dragon's Strike!" Her fist hurtled forward at Gehaburn; a layer of solar energy surrounded her fist, punching into the eldtrich abomination wildly. "Here I go!" Iris charged the passion of her courage into flames that surged in her left fist; this expanded outwards in the form of white flames that surrounded her fist, becoming visible through the sheer amount of energy there is, which intensified exponentially to the point that it appeared that it had taken upon the form of a squirrel's head. The high concentration of flames produced a sound that is similar to that of a scream of pure metal. "Hard Rock Damashi!" Iris suddenly made the position of the stars of the pegasus constellation, delivering a series of fierce punches, which moved at speeds which they could no longer be seen, leaving only jet streams in their place—the punches were set ablaze by her courage, so much so that it appears as if they were miniature flaming meteors, striking into Gehaburn over and over... ...Only for it to be shrugged off as Geaburn sent the two hurtling away with a single stomp of it's foot, emitting an enormous shockwave. "Pathetic." "Grrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Hephaestus swung upwards with great force, sending the energy skyward, where it exploded, lighting the sky ablaze in a brilliant light. "You're underestimating me, Gehaburn! I've had two centuries to improve over when we last met, while you've remained sealed within my soul up to this point for a few years! You have remained stagnant!" He vanished, dashing across the ground towards Gehaburn, surprising everyone with his speed as he was now merely a glowing, orange blur. As he stood now, in front of Gehaburn, looking up at the towering beast, it was now seen he no longer held his blade — it was re-sheathed. Then once again, Hephaestus began to move, encircling the beast, and with astounding speed, he began to make quick sword strikes, slashing at the beast before re-sheathing his blade at lightning speeds, it was a process, rinse and repeat. Gehaburn blocked each and every one of Hephaestus' strikes without even moving- it's darkness rose violently to expand into an abundance of claws; immediately afterwards, Gehaburn's mouth gathered an immense amount of pitch-black; the energy that was converged leaked out through its mouth, tainting the surroundings in darkness as it was compressed to its utmost limits; stirring up countless winds as the skies and earth screamed and shook, while an enormous collection of darkness was released down upon Gehaburn's opponent. "ALPHA RAZE." It was not aimed at anyone in the first place. It was no longer a matter of aiming at anyone. What this attack cut down could not be contained to simply 'Hephaestus', causing fracturing of the earth, and the opening of an abyss which zoomed towards its foe. Hephaestus' eyes took in the oncoming cone shaped blast, and his brain began to work into overdrive. "Gehaburn is no longer simply focusing on me, no....everyone right now is a target. Even with my Taiyou no Yoroi, I'm going to be at a severe disadvantage if I'm hit by ''that." His flames suddenly expanded, encompassing the entire Akatsuki guild with their light and protection, leaving him much less defended than he had been just a moment ago. He then took a stance, grinding his feet into the ground as he quickly unsheathed his blade, performing a slashing movement at the exact moment the cone shaped blast made impact, causing a giant explosion. The flames served their purpose, shielding the Akatsuki from the brunt of the attack, but smoke, debris, and remaining energy shielded Hephaestus from the eyes of the viewing. Gehaburn; thanks to no recovery time lost after its opponent had somewhat-countered its attack, not even waiting for Hephaestus to recover, stomped on the earth; releasing a powerful shockwave towards him, aiming to immediately catch him off guard. Letting out a roar, more and more shadowy snakes were released from its gaping maw, scattering in numerous directions in order to bombard the old man relentlessly with destructive dark energy. Within the smoke, Hephaestus himself had resummoned his own armor of flame, increasing the density of the flames as the energy blasts collided with his sword, which he was using as a method of guarding, in conjuction with the flames. During this, Ringo began to move, the girl showing no fear, and this action envigorating her sister as she jumped into the air, combining their light and flame magic into a "spear" of sorts, releasing the weapon towards one of Gehaburn's many heads. Like classical mythology, the spear sliced off one of Gehaburn's heads; flawlessly, though sadly, two more grew from the stump instantly. Releasing an enormous wave of dark magic towards the twins, Gehaburn roared while its tails grew and thickened, zooming towards Hephaestus in an attempt to impale him. Hephaestus waited as the appendage approached him, where it seemed to shrink, raring to impale him. When it came close, however, he leaped over it, the tail piercing the ground - and making the perfect runway for Hephaestus, who immediately proceeded to use him immense speed to dash up along the tail like a tripwire. Meanwhile, Ringo was still trying to get up, wanting to provide a suitable distraction for Hephaestus to make a move, but Ichigo was out cold. "...Damn...." Gehaburn released an almighty roar once again; as a light-orange sphere manifested from its numerous maws, energy poured out like a violently surging river. The sphere was enhanced and it grew slowly, but surely, as it began to drain magical energy from the atmosphere. A dark, intimidating feeling seized the guild and Hephaestus, feeling as if the judgment of a divine being was about to be wrought upon them. Meanwhile, Gehaburn utilized one of it's heads to stare down Hepheastus, charging dark energy within its mouth as its tails vibrated, attempting to throw the old man off. Vivian, finally standing to her feet raggedly, mustered enough magical energy to form a sensible foot-holding. "Ugh...I can feel my magic just being sucked away—out of my soul." Iris felt no distinction; merely nodding and leaping towards Gehaburn once more, swinging punches wildly. "I guess that's it..." Ringo sighed, and collapsed onto the ground. "...Can't move...." Even Crux and Kagemusha, who were watching from a distance, were being affected by this draining ability, their magic getting depleted for the creatures own whims. A Core Matter "Tch...!" Hephaestus leapt into the air, floating above Gehaburn before shooting ''downward like a meteor, landing on it's shoulder. "Even my magic is being depleted...when was it able to do this!?" Gehaburn's slitted eye focused on Hephaestus, the glaring crimson locking on to the old man. The eye shone briefly, before magical energy was quickly gathered and released in the form of an ultra-quick beam of intense heat from it's eye, aiming to pierce him straight through the heart. However, Hephaestus had more of an advantage on the beasts own body, leaping from shoulder to head while the beams pierced the own beasts shoulder. Hephaestus had been banking on this moment. After the beams impacted upon Gehaburn's shoulder, they bounced off of the beast, scattering in a rain of hellfire towards the group down below. Gehaburn itself almost went cross-eyed glancing at Hephaestus. "Water Dragon's Wall!" A torrent rose from the ground, absorbing the blast and returning it to sender. However, by doing so, Momoko felt herself even more drained from Gehaburn's sphere. It seemed that she was almost out of magical power; "It's over, Gehaburn." Hephaestus had his hand on his blade, glaring down at the beast. "You certainly don't think I've spent two centuries in isolation after your razing of my world doing nothing, do you? I'm quite aware of your weakness." Gehaburn merely looked up at Hephaestus, firing successive blasts of heat energy from its eyes towards the old man- the blasts continued to loop around in the air, seeking him out via heat signature. Not only this, slowly, the sphere of magical draining began to form once more- it was a certain that this spell would do the group in. Hephaestus expanded his armor to deflect these blasts, the impact ripping into the flames but they quickly regenerated, continuing to burn. "It appears monsters don't have manners. I was speaking to you, Gehaburn. A god or not, you still have one weakness. Your body structure. A creature as large as you, bones wouldn't be able to support such weight. There has to be something maintaining your structure, keeping you in one form. And I've finally found out what this is. A Nox core." Truly, if Hephaestus managed to take down that Nox Core, then it'd cause a chain reaction that would severely weaken Gehaburn. Letting out a feral roar, Gehaburn released several shockwaves from it's feet with wild stomping, as it expelled magical outwards in the form of a wide-reaching beam, unleashing a variety of natural disasters that devastated the surrounding area. Lightning rained down upon the area, as tornadoes whipped up and devastated the surroundings; earthquakes caused fissures, and water swiftly sweept in, flooding the area. This was the true sign of the world's end; all an attempt to chase Hephaestus off of it's back. The natural disasters converged, culminating in a truly enormous nuclear explosion resulting in a huge mushroom cloud, destroying the area. When the cloud cleared, the entire Akatsuki guild was unconscious. Hephaestus, however, had remained, albeit bloodied and battered. All of this had been akin to a bucking horse that had refused to accept a human - if said horse had the power of God itself. Hephaestus, however, was ready to claim victory, unsheathing his sword. This blade began to glow bright with magical energy, acting quite like Gehaburn's own technique, gathering magical energy from the atmosphere however, as opposed to living beings. Due to Gehaburn's last assault, there was a massive amount of magical energy just centered where they were, and Hephaestus was beginning to wonder if his blade could hold it all. "Aster Tataricus...don't falter!" Hephaestus suddenly extinguished his flame armor, before creating an immense burning blaze in a sphere above his palm. He spread this along the blade, creating a flaming blade, cloaked in the magical energy of the world itself. "This is the will of the world...not to crumble to the likes of you, Gehaburn!" The flames themselves cast off a brilliant light, like an aura, that shone many colours and could be seen for miles around. "Casus Mors." He swung his blade down, releasing a concentrated slash of heat and energy that moved at impossible speeds downwards at Gehaburn, aiming to pierce the flesh and hit the core. A loud shriek filled the air; Gehaburn cried out in anguish as Hephaestus's ultimate attack tore through it's rock-hard skin like a hot knife through butter, though the moment that the attack reached Gehaburn's Nox Core, it set off a violent chain reaction that caused the beast's body to let out an explosive charge, attempting to blow Hephastus off of it once more. Releasing powerful torrents of darkness from it's maws, Gehaburn went berserk- all with one goal in mind. However, these constant eruptions of magical power proved too much to bear- and with the instigation of the critical hit, the demon's skin cracked like glass, slowly but surely shattering- a vibrant display of colour was released, like stained glass breaking apart. This seemed like the end. Hephaestus descended to the ground, landing neatly as he sheathed his sword. "The only problem would be the regeneration..." He sighed. This creature wouldn't stay dead for long. A human does not simply kill God, and Hephaestus was quite aware of this. "There is no other way to ensure you don't cause more havoc..." Quickly, he cut into his arm with his blade, unsheating and resheathing it with a single hand, as blood spattered everywhere. Infusing this blood with magic, it quickly multiplied into more blood as it landed around the remains of Gehaburn, forming a magic circle with the core of the beast in the dead center. Hephaestus' body began to glow with bright orange energy, as he focused his considerable remaining magical energies into this circle, which itself began to glow. "I pledge my soul as a lock, bind the everliving demon as man, stripped of Godhood and made as mortal." The pieces of Gehaburn began to glow as the core began to hover, and they pierced the core itself, beginning to morph into a vaguely humanoid shape. "I sacrifice all so that you may never walk as you truly are, forever know the pain you've caused. Gehaburn!" A large bright light flashed, covering the entire area with it's light. When it dissipated, Hephaestus was on the ground, collapsed, and, in the place of Gehaburn was...a young, well-endowed woman, stark-naked and wearing a very confused look on her face. "What. What? WHAT!?'" Her cries of shock echoed into the air as she looked down at her new form. "I'm...what....huma...Jason LaHote, damn it!" She seemed to be in an absolute rage now, and began yelling at Hephaestus' corpse. "Was sealing me in a sword before not enough!? You die now, and leave me with this indignity!? I'll kill you!" Crux, finally showing himself after doing shit all, emerged from the shadows, clapping. "Ahahahaha. Wow, that was great. Shame I didn't have popcorn. Ten/ten was a laugh riot." He eyed off Gehaburn. "So, you're in that form now? I guess it's more managable." Without any prior warning, Crux ran towards Gehaburn in the blink of an eye, his arm cloaked in darkness and ready to strike... "ROAR OF THE SKY DRAGON!" A giant burst of air hit the ground, resulting in a cyclone that stopped Crux in his tracks. The wind quickly subsided, revealing the figures of Jason and Wendy within the funnel of air. Jason, starting straight at Crux, raised his blade up to Gehaburn's form, placing the flat side in front of her as if to shield her. "It's good to see everyone is still alive." His eyes moved from Crux's face to the fallen forms of his guildmates. Gehaburn, however, was more shocked to see the younger form of her former captor standing before her, when the elder had just now perished. "Y-you! Jason!" END